Hewlett Lawyer Gets State Bar's Top Honor

Christopher McGrath, a Hewlett resident and past president of the Nassau Bar Association, recently received the top honor from the state’s bar, the 2012 Attorney Professionalism Award.

The award recognizes one attorney in New York State who displays the highest standards of professionalism, commitment to promoting respect for the legal system, outstanding ethical conduct, competence, good judgment, integrity and civility, according to a release from the Nassau Bar.

“It is an amazingly huge deal. I was honored to be nominated,” McGrath told Patch. “I never thought in a million years that I’d win the award, since it’s a state award. I’m only the second person on Long Island to win it.”

McGrath is a personal injury attorney and partner at the firm of Sullivan Papain Block McGrath & Cannavo in Garden City. He also works as an adjunct professor of law at Hofstra University School of Law and is active in creating externships and scholarships for law students. McGrath served as president of the Nassau Bar from 2005-06. He’s active with the bar’s charitable arm, the , which has helped many Five Towns organizations in the past.

“His leadership ability and legal insight are widely recognized beyond this association as evidenced by his appointments to numerous local and statewide committees and commissions charged with making recommendations for the improvement of our justice system,” President Susan Katz Richman said in the release.

To be nominated for the Attorney Professionalism Award, judges, clients and other lawyers write into to the bar.

"Clients, colleagues and adversaries alike remark on Chris McGrath's skills as a trial lawyer, while noting that he maintains the demeanor of a gentleman, no matter how zealous his advocacy," said Deena R. Ehrlich, executive director of the Nassau County Bar Association.

McGrath said he was given a copy of the notes and was ovelwhelmed that people took the time to nominate him.

“I’m so unbelievably taken back by the amount of judges, adversaries and clients that wrote to the state bar nominating me,” he said. “It was pretty amazing, pretty amazing.”

The state bar also gave McGrath a Tiffany solid gold clock.

“I don’t view this as my award. I view it as a Nassau County award,” McGrath said. “I’m going to put it at a case at the Nassau Bar.”